2 Sony Executives Disciplined For Faked Praise in Film Ads

By RICK LYMAN

Published: June 9, 2001

LOS ANGELES, June 10—
Sony Pictures Entertainment has reprimanded and suspended without pay for 30 days two advertising executives for their part in concocting quotes from a fictitious movie critic to promote four Columbia Pictures movies in advertisements.

The revelation, reported in Newsweek, that some ads for Columbia's ''Hollow Man,'' ''Vertical Limit,'' ''A Knight's Tale'' and ''The Animal'' contained the fabricated gushing quotes was an embarrassment for the studio, largely because it was such a pointless exercise. Effusive quotations from little-known critics are not exactly hard to come by.

Sony refused to divulge the names of the two executives, although Daily Variety reported that those suspended were Josh Goldstine, senior vice president of creative advertising, and Matthew Cramer, director of creative advertising. Calls seeking comment from the two executives were not returned.

When asked why the punishment was limited to a reprimand and short suspension, a company official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that it was decided that the loss of a month's pay and the humiliation among their peers was commensurate with the offense.

It is common practice for studio publicists to gently nudge the critics who attend press junkets for films to provide glowing quotes -- especially the critics from small and little-known publications whose junket expenses are paid by the studio. Often, this goes so far as to include suggesting specific language to the critics.

This is why advertisements for films that have not yet opened -- and which have not yet been reviewed by major critics -- often include quotations from critics for various tiny magazines, local television affiliates and online operations. Those filler quotes are generally replaced, once the film opens, by quotes of praise from major critics, if there are any.

The Sony ads that led to the reprimands that were announced on Thursday quoted David Manning, said to be a critic for The Ridgefield Press, a weekly in Connecticut, praising the Columbia films and their stars. In fact, people at the company said, there is a David Manning who is a friend of one of the disciplined Sony executives and who lives in Ridgefield. He could not be reached for comment.

Editors at the newspaper said they noticed the sham quotes last year but decided to take no action.

Jeff Blake, Sony's president for worldwide marketing and distribution, said that a new system of checks and balances would ensure the accuracy of future critics' quotations in Sony ads.